It was
absolutely silent outside. Harry noticed that as he, Ron and
Hermione entered the Gryffindor Common Room. Nobody was there; they
were all downstairs celebrating in the Great Hall. The trio didn't
feel like celebrating though, at least not with anyone else.

"Do you want
Kreacher to make us some sandwiches?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione.
They shrugged.

"Sure."

"I guess." Ron
took a seat in his usual chair by the fireplace and pulled Hermione
onto his lap.

"Kreacher, could you
come here please?" There was a pop, and Kreacher appeared.
When he saw Harry, he stooped into a low bow.

"What can Kreacher
do for Master Potter?"

"Could you bring us
some sandwiches and Butterbeer please?"

"What kind of
sandwiches?" The trio looked at each other, they hadn't thought
of that.

"It doesn't matter
to us." The house elf bowed low again before disappearing the same
way he had arrived.

Hermione closed her
eyes and leaned against Ron's shoulder. He rubbed her upper arm
and held her as close as possible. Harry took a seat across from
them on the couch.

"Is it really over?"
she asked as she sat up again. "It doesn't seem like it should
be over, this is all we've known for years."

"It is," Ron
assured. "Maybe now we can have normal lives." Harry snorted.

"Yeah, that'snever going to happen," he commented almost bitterly but
more as a sarcastic remark.

"It could!"

"Yeah, but then we'd
be boring." Hermione shook her head in disbelief. Some things
just never changed; boys would always be boys.

"You guys aren't
seriously having this argument," she said. Ron poked her sides
playfully, causing her to squirm and suppress her giggles.

"So what if we are?"
Kreacher reappeared with a plate piled high with sandwiches and
Butterbeer, preventing any future arguments from unfolding…for the
time being at least.

Fifteen minutes later,
the three friends were all sitting on the floor in front of the
fireplace munching on their sandwiches. Despite the fact that it was
June, Ron had started a fire. The warm flames added a sort of
friendly comfort to the room. Hermione opened up her purse and began
to dig things out.

"What are you
doing?" Harry asked.

"I'm trying to see
what we have. We've stuffed so much in here, I've lost track of it
all." She pulled out a handful of wands and put them on the floor
next to her. Ron and Harry looked at each other; they knew what she
was doing. She was trying to keep herself busy so she wouldn't
have to think about everything that had happened.

Not long after
Hermione began her little project, the portrait door swung open. The
trio looked up, ready for a fight.

"Harry!" Ginny
exclaimed as she ran into the Common Room. Harry stood up and
gathered her safely into his arms. "I thought you were dead. I
couldn't believe it." She began to cry. He took her face in his
hands and ran his thumbs over her wet cheeks.

"I'm not going
anywhere, okay? I'll never leave you." He wrapped his arms
around her again and held her as close as possible. They were
completely oblivious to the fact that various Order members were
trickling into the Common Room. All they cared about was being
together again. In truth, Ginny's expressed dears had been the
same ones going through Harry's head.

"No, not yet."
The conversation was grim and depressing to say the least.

"I'll go." It
was a statement, not a suggestion, and yet the auror opened his mouth
to protest. "Someone has to do it, and I think it should be me."

"I'll go with
you," Ginny said as she slid her small hand into Harry's much
larger one. He turned around and kissed her cheek lightly, keeping
in mind just how many of her brothers were in the room with them at
the time.

"I'm going alone."
It was another statement that she didn't dare argue. He turned
his attention to Ron and Hermione. "I'll meet you back at the
Burrow." Kingsley handed over the two wands. Harry gave Ginny one
last kiss before stalking out of the Common Room. His shoulders
seemed to sag, showing the weight of what he was about to do. He had
the agonizing task of telling a mother that she'd never again see
her young daughter or son-in-law.

The sun's early
morning rays crept across the horizon as Harry Apparated outside or
Remus and Tonks' house. He had never been there before. It was a
quaint little cottage, secluded from everyone else (probably upon
Remus' request). The day was still quiet and young. All of that
was sure to change the second people woke up and realized what had
happened at Hogwarts the night before.

The fog began to clear
as Harry approached the house. The wands in his hands felt like they
weighed a ton. His heart pounded in his chest. The front door flew
open, sending a beam of light across the neatly trimmed lawn (again,
probably Remus' doing).

"Remus? Nymphadora?
Is that you?" Andromeda called from the doorway. Her silhouette
was outlined by the light shining behind her.

"No, it's Harry."

"Harry?" There
was a pause as Harry stepped in front of her. Suddenly, she
understood what was going on. "Oh God, no! Please no!" she
cried as he held out the wands.

"I'm sorry. They
both didn't make it." He gently guided her inside so they could
talk in a more private setting. They went to the kitchen in the back
of the house. It was a small kitchen since neither Tonks nor Remus
were much of a cook. Andromeda took a seat at the table while Harry
chose to remain standing. "They both fought bravely," he said
almost hopefully as if something like that could somehow ease the
pain. She nodded. She was in some sort of daze.

"Where are they
now?"

"At the school. You
should probably contact Professor McGonagall about that. I wanted to
be the one to tell you."

"Thank you, Harry,
you're a good boy." Teddy's cries for attention floated to the
kitchen from upstairs. Andromeda started to rise.

"You stay, I've got
it." Before she could even open her mouth in protest, Harry was
gone.

It was fairly easy to
find Teddy's room. All Harry had to do was follow the sound of his
godson's cries. Teddy's was simple, yet perfect. It was obvious
that interior decorating hadn't been high on the Lupins' priority
list with the war and everything. There was a crib against the right
wall, and a bookshelf on the far wall next to a window. There was
also a closet on the left wall and a dresser next to the door. Teddy
was in his crib, pumping his tiny feet and fists in the air.

"Teddy," Harry
said quietly. Right away, the crying stopped. He approached the
crib and peered inside. It was the first time he had ever seen his
godson in person. He was much bigger than in the photos provided by
Remus. "What's wrong?" He gently picked Teddy up and cradled
him in his arms. Harry had never held a baby before, and he hoped
that he was doing it right. "There you go, little guy." A book
on the rocker next to the crib caught his attention. He ran his
fingers over the smooth cover, wondering who had been busy reading it
and if they knew what their fate was.

When Harry got back to
the kitchen with Teddy five minutes later, Andromeda was mulling over
a cup of tea.

"Would you like a
cup?" she asked in a distant voice.

"Oh no, I'm fine."
She took a deep breath. Right away, he knew that something more was
on her mind.

"Harry, you've
already been so wonderful, but I have one more thing to ask of you."
She paused as she continued to collect her thoughts. "I'm old,
I can't properly take care of Teddy. If you could take him it's
what Remus and Nymphadora would have wanted." Harry weighed his
options in his mind. He had no clue how his life was going to be
now. At the same time, he felt like he should honor Remus and Tonks'
wishes. But he had no clue how to take care of a baby. One thing
kept standing out to him. He had longed for a better relationship
with Sirius, would he really do the same thing to Teddy?

"I'll take him."

It was nearly eight
thirty by the time Harry got to the Burrow. Teddy squirmed in his
arms, he wanted to get down and play. Hermione was sitting out on
the lawn reading a book in the shade of a large tree. She looked up
and smiled when she saw Teddy and Harry. She gave Harry a hug and
kissed Teddy's round cheek lovingly. She instantly knew who he was
even though she had never seen him before. Of course, the changing
hair color might have had something to do with that. His hair turned
from a light blonde to a deep blue, almost black.

"Where's everyone
else?" Harry asked.

"The Weasleys are
inside. I thought that I should give them some time together. What
are you doing here?" she asked Teddy as if he could answer her.
She took him from Harry and balanced him on her hip just like an
expert.

"Andromeda asked me
to take him."

"For how long?"
He simply shrugged. She noticed how completely exhausted he looked.
There were dark circles under his eyes, and he was abnormally pale.
"Why don't you take a nap out here?" she suggested.

"No, no, I'm fine.
I have to keep an eye on Teddy."

"I'll watch
Teddy, you need to sleep."

"'Mione-"

"Harry, when's the
last time you had a good night's sleep?" Hermione argued. Harry
stopped to think. In all honesty, he couldn't remember. "That's
what I thought. Now, please give me Teddy's bag, and you can lie
down in the grass to take a nap." He handed over Teddy's bag and
stretched out across the grass to sleep.

It didn't take long
for sleep to finally claim Harry. Hermione sat cross-legged on the
ground next to him and settled Teddy comfortably in her lap. She
pulled a storybook out of his bag and began to read to him.
Surprisingly enough, he stopped wiggling and appeared to be listening
to the story intently. Hermione held him as close as possible as if
clinging to the memory of Remus and Tonks.

It was a little after
nine when Ginny and Ron emerged from the Burrow. As soon as she saw
Harry's sleep form, she rushed over to him.

"Let him sleep,
Gin," her brother ordered sternly, sounding like their mother.

"I know," she said
as she sat down next to Harry and ran her fingers through his long,
untamable hair. It was soothing to her to feel him so close to her
again.

"What's Teddy
doing here?"

"Andromeda asked
Harry to take him," Hermione replied.

"I feel horrible for
her, she's been through so much," Ginny commented softly.

"And we haven't!?"
Ron exclaimed hotly. "Fred's dead, George has a hole where his
ear should be, and Bill's face is all messed up!" teddy began to
whimper, and Ginny took him from Hermione to calm him down.

"Ron, please,"
Hermione pleaded as she squeezed his hand lovingly to get his
attention. "Calm down, we've all been through a lot. Let's
not start fighting here." He sighed and laced his fingers with
hers. As much as he didn't want to admit it, she had a point.

Taking a deep breath,
Harry opened his eyes and rolled onto his back. The first thing he
saw was Ginny sitting on the ground next to him.

"Morning, sleepy
head," Ron joked when he saw that his friend was awake. Harry sat
up and rubbed his eyes under his glasses, which he had slept in.

"What time is it?"
he mumbled.

"About noon,"
Hermione replied. Ginny slid her arm around Harry's waist and
rested her cheek against his muscular bicep. He turned his attention
to her and pecked her on the lips.

"Did you sleep
well?" she asked in a motherly voice.

"Yeah, I did."
Teddy leaned towards his godfather from Hermione's arms. He looked
like he was ready to fall asleep. "Come here, Teddy." Harry
picked him up and held him in his arms.

It was around one by
the time everyone was called inside to lunch. The kitchen was
crowded and smelled amazingly delicious. Fleur was doing her best to
help Mrs. Weasley, but Mrs. Weasley wouldn't hear of it. There was
a copy of The Daily Prophet on the table, but Harry didn't
even acknowledge it. He didn't want to see what it said; it didn't
matter to him.

"Oh Harry dear, let
me take Teddy for you," Mrs. Weasley said as soon as she saw him.
"How long are you taking care of him?" The question was starting
to get old pretty fast.

"I don't know."

"I have an old crib
up in the attic if you want. I can go get it for you."

"Mum, I've got it,"
Bill said. Before Mrs. Weasley had a chance to react, he was dashing
upstairs. She smiled weakly before going to find Teddy something to
eat.

It was a tight fit for
lunch, but nobody seemed to mind. Despite the events from the night
before, there was laughter in the air. Harry slid his left hand
under the table and drew circles on Ginny's knee with his thumb.
She gave him a small, flirty smile that none of her brothers noticed.

"Where are we going
to stay tonight?" hermione asked him. "Will we go back to
Grimmauld Place?"

"Probably," Harry
replied.

"I want to go too,"
Ginny spoke up.

"You and Ron should
probably stay here for a few days to be with your family."

"But I want to be
with you!" she cried, drawing the attention of several of the
Weasleys.

"Right now you need
to be here with your family!" Without warning, Ginny pushed
herself away from the table and dashed out the door. Harry rushed
after her. An uncomfortable silence settled over the rest of the
inhabitants in the kitchen.

Harry found Ginny
standing under the large tree in the backyard with her arms wrapped
around herself.

"Gin," he said as
gently as possible.

"Go away, Harry,
that's what you do best." He put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not leaving
until we can talk." She spun around to face him. tears welled up
in her pain filled eyes.

"There's nothing
to talk about. You, Ron and Hermione are going to leave me
behind…again! I'm used to it though," she added bitterly. He
took her face in his hands and ran his thumbs over her cheeks.

"We left you behind
so you'd be safe," he reasoned.

"I don't care
about that! All I want to do is be with you! These past few months,
all I've thought about is you holding me again; making me feel safe
again." She paused. "Please ,Harry, just hold me." He didn't
need telling twice. He wrapped his arms around her and held her
close.

"I promise, in a few
days you and Ron can come to Grimmauld Place after you spend
some time with your family." She opened her mouth to protest even
more. "No, I'm your boyfriend. I know what you're going
through, and I think that this would be good for you."

"What about me!?
What about what I think?"

"What do you
think?" she stopped. tears rolled down her cheeks as she shook
her head.

"I don't know. I
just don't know what to think. Fred's gone, my older brother's
gone, and it's not fair!" Ginny burst into tears. Harry rubbed
her back and did his best to console her, even though he knew that
letting it all out was probably the best thing for her at the moment.
She was willing to do something no one else was by grieving
publicly.

A/N: Long first
chapter, I know. Also, I created a Harry Potter fan fiction forum. Check out my profile, it's my homepage!!!

Tina101

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